Low-maintenance cable guidance in CNC grinding machines with oil and chips

Profile

• What was needed: E6 energy chain
• Requirements: Low maintenance, aggressive environmental conditions, such as oil and metal swarf
• Industry: Machine tool manufacturing
• Success for the customer: Chain model for planning dimensions and design, extremely smooth-running chain enables precise work of the CNC machine, and simple design reduces maintenance costs to a minimum

The chain carries a mix of hydraulic hoses and servo/encoder cables.

Problem

Cinetic Landis Ltd, a machine tool builder based in New Yorkshire in England, had been working on a CNC-controlled camshaft grinding machine as part of a new project. The computer-automated system has two grinding wheels on the thrust axis. So that each spindle can be selected by the machine, the entire disc head must be able to rotate. This not only minimises changeover times when switching between different functions of the machine, but also improves the accuracy of the product as it can be manufactured in just one setup.
Cinetic Landis was faced with the task of finding a suitable energy supply solution as part of the design of the machine. However, the machine builder did not want to rely on a standard solution, but was determined to find a solution that would function neatly and without errors even when the machine was in heavy use. The main focus was thus on eliminating maintenance work. In addition, the environmental conditions during operation of the plant also had to be considered. Most notably, these manifest in the form of oil and abrasive elements such as metallic splinter, which also always come into contact with components such as the energy supply system and can severely impair its function.

Solution

Cinetic Landis Ltd. finally opted for e-chains, or more precisely for the E6 energy chain series from igus. However, before the machine builder found the final solution for his system, he looked at the e-chain 1640, which was found to be too heavy, stiff and prismatic in its design for the company's specific application situation. So igus finally offered the machine manufacturer a sample of the E6 chain as a counter design for the internal illustration of the dimensions and exact mode of operation.
From this point, the distance from the model to the actual implementation in the plant was not long, because the E6 was able to completely convince Cinetic Landis. The chain offers several advantages to the user: In addition to the high flexibility of the chain, the elimination of a traditional prismatic design has enabled smoother movement, which also ensures more accurate operation of the grinding machine.  In addition, the E6 chain is not affected by the lubricating oil used during grinding. Thus, there is no pin/bore connection for joining the chain components and wear and tear cannot occur here.  Furthermore, only minimal support was needed for the energy chain, which consists of only two steel bars. Even an approx. 1 m long unsupported chain section in between, which reduces the friction of the entire installation, can be carried by the chains without any problems. Finally, the 230° rotating movement of the chain is a "simple" rotating movement, not a movement with a reverse bend radius. This keeps the costs low, the application very clear and the maintenance as simple as possible.

The tube in the foreground provides a guide for the chain during the rotating movement.

The model of an E6 energy chain in research and development illustrates how the energy chain can be attached to the grinding machine.